EDITOR’S NOTE: Verbiage in the Thursday, Feb. 16 newsletter made it sound as if this encounter happened on a multi-modal path with a golf cart. The encounter described in this letter occurred on a sidewalk and involved another walker.
To the Editor:
I am a totally blind Villager and enjoy a daily three-mile walk with my Seeing Eye Dog, Di-Di. Lately, I have encountered a rash of rudeness from some people in “the Friendliest Town in America!” My dog wears an official “Seeing Eye” harness which affords me a handle to hold as she guides me. I was walking today and a man yelled, “S__t, lady! Next time, why don’t ya move over?” I turned quickly and said, “Sorry Sir, I am blind.” I was hoping he would stop, come back and apologize so he could learn about guide dogs and blindness. Unfortunately, with all the traffic from golf carts and cars, people’s footfalls are not easily heard. PLEASE, if you see a dog wearing a harness, a white cane, a leg brace, arm braces, walkers, wheelchairs, etc., please be patient and kind. To the man that yelled at me…Happy Valentine’s Day to you too!
Catherine Blais
Bartow Villas
